CN218099743U

CN218099743U - Driving mechanism

Info

Publication number: CN218099743U
Application number: CN202220712272.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 沈炜哲
Original assignee: TDK Taiwan Corp
Current assignee: TDK Taiwan Corp
Priority date: 2021-03-29
Filing date: 2022-03-29
Publication date: 2022-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-29
Also published as: US20220308307A1; CN115144991A; US11740428B2; US20220308306A1; CN218099732U; CN115144995A; US20220308421A1; CN115144996A; CN217425803U; CN216817056U; US20220308357A1; CN217425802U

Abstract

A driving mechanism for driving an optical element to move comprises a fixed module, a movable part and a driving component. The movable part is used for bearing the optical element and can move relative to the fixed module, and the driving component is used for driving the movable part to move relative to the fixed module.

Description

Driving mechanism

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a driving mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to a driving mechanism for driving an optical element.

Background

With the development of technology, many electronic devices (such as smart phones or digital cameras) have a function of taking pictures or recording videos. The electronic devices are more and more commonly used, and the development is directed to a design of convenience and lightness and thinness to provide more choices for users.

Some electronic devices with a camera or video recording function are provided with a lens driving module to drive an Optical element to move, so as to achieve the functions of auto focus (auto focus) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The light can pass through the optical element to form an image on a photosensitive element.

However, the lens driving module often needs to include a plurality of magnets and coils disposed around the optical element, which may not further reduce the size of the lens driving module and the electronic device. Therefore, how to solve the above problems becomes an important issue.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the foregoing problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a driving mechanism for driving an optical element to move, including a fixed module, a movable portion and a driving assembly. The movable part is used for bearing the optical element and can move relative to the fixed module, and the driving component is used for driving the movable part to move relative to the fixed module.

In one embodiment, the fixing module includes a housing and a plate-shaped metal element fixed to each other.

In one embodiment, the housing is formed with a slot, and the metal element has a body, a recessed structure and a fixing piece, the fixing piece extends in a vertical direction and is fixed on the housing, the recessed structure connects the body and the fixing piece and is embedded in the slot, wherein the vertical direction is parallel to an optical axis of the optical element.

In an embodiment, the driving mechanism further includes a driving module, the driving module and the fixing module are disposed on a substrate, and the driving module has a first member, a second member and a shape memory alloy element, wherein the shape memory alloy element is connected to the first member and the second member, and the shape memory alloy element is accommodated in the recess structure.

In an embodiment, the driving mechanism further includes a circuit module and an elastic element, wherein the circuit module is fixed on the fixed module, and the elastic element is movably connected to the movable portion and the circuit module.

In an embodiment, the driving mechanism further includes a frame module, and the movable portion has a supporting member and a spring, wherein the supporting member is used for supporting the optical element, the spring is connected to the supporting member and the frame module, and the elastic element is connected to the frame module and the circuit module.

In an embodiment, the circuit module includes an upper cover and a circuit board fixed to each other, a top surface of the upper cover and a top surface of the fixing module are the same height in a vertical direction, or the upper cover is slightly lower than the fixing module in the vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is parallel to an optical axis of the optical element.

In one embodiment, the fixing module includes a housing and a plate-shaped metal element fixed to each other, and the elastic element and the metal element are not overlapped with each other in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is parallel to an optical axis of the optical element.

In one embodiment, when the driving mechanism is impacted by an external force, the frame module contacts the metal element, so as to limit the frame module at an extreme position inside the fixing module.

In one embodiment, the housing is formed with a slot, and the metal element has a body, a recessed structure and a fixing piece, the fixing piece extends toward the vertical direction and is fixed on the housing, and the recessed structure connects the body and the fixing piece and is embedded in the slot.

The beneficial effects of the utility model reside in that, this embodiment can promote fixed module's overall structure intensity by a wide margin through set up metal component on the shell, also can help reaching the holistic miniaturization of optical system simultaneously.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows an exploded view from another perspective of the optical system of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the movable section, the coil, and the spring piece of fig. 1 after joining.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the frame module and the magnet of fig. 1 after they are coupled.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the circuit module, the movable portion, and the frame module after being coupled.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a driving mechanism formed by combining the circuit module, the movable portion, the frame module, the fixing module, the driving module and the elastic element.

Fig. 7 shows another perspective view of the drive mechanism of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the drive mechanism in fig. 6.

Fig. 10 shows an enlarged view of a portion B in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an exploded view of the fixing module and the driving module of fig. 1 disposed on a substrate.

Fig. 12 shows a perspective view of the drive module in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 shows an exploded view of the stationary module of fig. 11.

The reference numbers are as follows:

10: circuit module

11: upper cover

12: circuit board

20 movable part

21 bearing part

30 frame module

31 frame

40 fixing module

41 casing

411 clamping groove

42 metal element

420 main body

421 concave structure

422 fixing sheet

50 drive module

51 first member

52 second component

C is coil

FC flat coil

L optical element

M is magnet

P is a substrate

R is a shape memory alloy element

S1 spring leaf

S2 spring leaf

W is an elastic element

Detailed Description

The following describes a drive mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments of the present invention provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The particular embodiments disclosed are illustrative only of the use of the invention in particular ways, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The foregoing and other features, aspects and utilities of the present invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Directional terms as referred to in the following examples, for example: up, down, left, right, front or rear, etc., are directions with reference to the attached drawings only. Therefore, the directional terms used in the embodiments are used for description and are not intended to limit the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, fig. 1 shows an exploded view of an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 shows an exploded view of the optical system in fig. 1 from another perspective, fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the movable portion 20, the coil C, and the springs S1 and S2 in fig. 1, fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the frame module 30 and the magnet M in fig. 1, fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the circuit module 10, the movable portion 20, and the frame module 30 in fig. 5, and fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the circuit module 10, the movable portion 20, the frame module 30, the fixing module 40, the driving module 50, and the elastic element W combined to form a driving mechanism.

As shown in fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 3, fig. 4, fig. 5 and fig. 6, an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a camera lens disposed in a mobile phone, a tablet computer or other electronic devices, and mainly includes an optical element L (e.g., an optical lens), a circuit module 10, a movable portion 20, a frame module 30, a fixing module 40, a driving module 50 and a plurality of elastic elements W.

Specifically, the circuit module 10 includes an upper cover 11 and a circuit board 12 fixed to each other, the fixed module 40 includes a plastic housing 41 and a metal element 42 fixed to each other, wherein the upper cover 11 is fixed to a top side of the housing 41, the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30 are movably accommodated in the housing 41, and the optical element L is fixed to a center of the carrier 21 of the movable portion 20 and can move relative to the fixed module 40 along with the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30.

As can be seen from fig. 3, the springs S1 and S2 are respectively disposed on the upper and lower sides of the carrier 21 of the movable portion 20, and a coil C is further disposed on the side of the carrier 21; correspondingly, as can be seen from fig. 4, a magnet M is provided inside the frame 31 of the frame module 30 and at a position corresponding to the coil C.

The movable portion 20 may be disposed in the frame module 30 during assembly, and the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30 may be connected by the springs S1, S2, so that the movable portion 20 can be displaced in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) parallel to the optical axis of the optical element L with respect to the frame module 30.

In addition, as can be seen from fig. 5, four elastic elements W (e.g., metal thin rods) can be used to connect the circuit board 12 of the circuit module 10 and the spring plate S2, so that the optical element L can move along with the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30 along the horizontal direction (X-axis direction or/and Y-axis direction) relative to the fixed module 40 or rotate around the optical axis (Z-axis direction) of the optical element L. In addition, the elastic element W is exposed at the top side of the circuit board 12, and when viewed along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), it can be found that the upper cover 11 and the elastic element W do not overlap with each other, thereby preventing the elastic element W and the upper cover 11 from interfering with each other to affect the stability of the driving mechanism during actuation.

On the other hand, as can be seen from fig. 1, 2 and 6, the optical element L, the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30 are all disposed in the fixed module 40 and surrounded by the housing 41 of the fixed module 40, and the driving module 50 is disposed at the bottom side of the fixed module 40 and below the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30.

In the present embodiment, a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) element is disposed inside the driving module 50, which is used to drive an Image sensing element (not shown) located at the bottom side of the fixed module 40 to move relative to the fixed module 40, so as to achieve an Optical hand vibration (OIS) protection function through a Sensor-Shift (Sensor-Shift) technique.

It should be understood that the aforementioned components of the circuit module 10, the movable portion 20, the frame module 30, the fixing module 40, the driving module 50 and the elastic element W can constitute a driving mechanism (fig. 6), and the coil C disposed on the movable portion 20 and the magnet M on the frame module 30 can constitute a driving assembly, wherein when the coil C on the movable portion 20 is applied with a current, the coil C and the magnet M on the frame module 30 can generate a magnetic force to drive the optical element L fixed on the movable portion 20 to displace in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) relative to the fixing module 40.

Next, referring to fig. 7 and 8 together, wherein fig. 7 is a perspective view of another view of the driving mechanism in fig. 6, and fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the metal element 42 of the fixing module 40 is fixed to the housing 41, so that the overall structural strength of the fixing module 40 can be improved, and the miniaturization of the optical system can be facilitated. Since the plate-shaped metal element 42 has a flexible characteristic, the embodiment forms a concave structure 421 (fig. 8) on one side of the metal element 42 for accommodating the shape memory alloy element R in the driving module 50, so as to prevent the shape memory alloy element R from contacting the fixing module 40 to cause a mechanism damage, and effectively utilize space to greatly reduce the thickness of the driving mechanism in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

On the other hand, as can be seen from fig. 7 and 8, the elastic element W and the driving module 50 are separated by a distance in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and the elastic element W and the metal element 42 are not overlapped with each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), so that the elastic element W can be effectively prevented from contacting the driving module 50 or the metal element 42 when being impacted by an external force, and a short circuit can be avoided.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10 together, fig. 9 is a sectional view of the driving mechanism in fig. 6, and fig. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion B in fig. 9.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, 9 and 10, a flat coil FC is disposed inside the circuit board 12 of the circuit module 10, wherein when a current is applied to the flat coil FC, the flat coil FC and a magnet M disposed on the frame 31 generate a magnetic force to drive the movable portion 20 and the frame module 30 to move together in a horizontal direction (X-axis direction or/and Y-axis direction) or rotate around an optical axis (Z-axis direction) of the optical element L relative to the circuit module 10 and the fixed module 40.

In addition, as can be seen from fig. 10, the bottom surface of the frame 31 of the frame module 30 and the metal element 42 are separated by a distance in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and when the driving mechanism is impacted by an external force, the bottom surface of the frame 31 contacts the metal element 42, so as to limit the frame module 30 at an extreme position inside the fixed module 40, thereby preventing the movable portion 20 and the optical element L inside the frame module 30 from contacting the image sensing element (not shown) at the bottom side of the fixed module 40 due to the external force.

In the present embodiment, the top surfaces of the upper cover 11 of the circuit module 10 and the housing 41 of the fixed module 40 are equally high in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), but the upper cover 11 may be slightly lower than the top surface of the housing 41 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction); in addition, the position of the driving module 50 is slightly higher than the bottom surface of the housing 41, but the disclosure of the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

Next, referring to fig. 11 and 12 together, wherein fig. 11 shows an exploded view of the fixing module 40 and the driving module 50 of fig. 1 disposed on a substrate P, and fig. 12 shows a perspective view of the driving module 50 of fig. 11.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the fixing module 40 and the driving module 50 can be disposed on a substrate P, wherein the driving module 50 includes a first member 51, a second member 52, and a plurality of shape memory alloy elements R connected to the first member 51 and the second member 52.

It should be understood that, during the assembly of the driving module 50, the first member 51 and the housing 41 of the fixed module 40 can be fixed on the substrate P, and an Image sensing element (not shown) can be disposed on the second member 52, wherein when a current is applied to the memory alloy element R, the memory alloy element R expands or contracts, so that the second member 52 can be driven to rotate relative to the first member 51, thereby utilizing a Sensor-Shift (Sensor-Shift) technique to achieve an Optical anti-vibration (OIS) function.

Referring again to fig. 13, fig. 13 shows an exploded view of the fixing module 40 of fig. 11. As shown in fig. 13, the fixing module 40 includes a plastic housing 41 and a metal element 42 fixed to each other, wherein the metal element 42 has a body 420, four recess structures 421 and four fixing pieces 422, the four fixing pieces 422 extend in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and are fixed on four side walls of the rectangular housing 41, and the recess structures 421 connect the body 420 and the fixing pieces 422 and are embedded in the slots 411 on the side walls of the housing 41.

It should be noted that the concave structure 421 can be used to accommodate the shape memory alloy element R in the driving module 50, so as to avoid the mechanism damage caused by the interference between the shape memory alloy element R and the fixing module 40, and also greatly reduce the thickness of the driving mechanism in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

In addition, when the driving mechanism is impacted by an external force, the bottom surface of the frame 31 of the frame module 30 contacts the body 420 of the metal element 42, so that the frame module 30 can be limited to a limit position inside the fixed module 40 by using the body 420 as a stopper, wherein the bottom surface of the frame 31 of the frame module 30 is closer to the body 420 of the metal element 42 than the elastic element W in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, the metal element 42 is disposed on the plastic housing 41, so as to greatly enhance the overall structural strength of the fixing module 40 and facilitate the miniaturization of the optical system.

Although the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been disclosed, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification, but rather, the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in connection with the embodiment disclosed herein will be understood to one skilled in the art from the disclosure to be included within the scope of the present application as presently perceived, or in any future developed process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, method and steps. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure includes the processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, and steps described above. In addition, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and the scope of protection of the present invention also includes combinations of the respective claims and embodiments.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto, and modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A driving mechanism for driving an optical element, comprising:

a fixed module, wherein the fixed module comprises a shell and a plate-shaped metal element which are fixed with each other;

a movable part for carrying the optical element and moving relative to the fixed module; and

and the driving component is used for driving the movable part to move relative to the fixed module.

2. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is formed with a slot, and the metal element has a body, a recessed structure and a fixing piece, the fixing piece extends toward a vertical direction and is fixed on the housing, the recessed structure connects the body and the fixing piece and is embedded in the slot, wherein the vertical direction is parallel to an optical axis of the optical element.

3. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the driving mechanism further comprises a driving module, the driving module and the fixing module are disposed on a substrate, and the driving module has a first member, a second member and a shape memory alloy element, wherein the shape memory alloy element is connected to the first member and the second member, and the shape memory alloy element is accommodated in the recess structure.

4. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a circuit module and an elastic element, wherein the circuit module is fixed on the fixed module, and the elastic element is movably connected to the movable portion and the circuit module.

5. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the driving mechanism further comprises a frame module, and the movable portion has a supporting member and a spring, wherein the supporting member is used for supporting the optical element, the spring is connected to the supporting member and the frame module, and the elastic element is connected to the frame module and the circuit module.

6. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the circuit module includes a top cover and a circuit board fixed to each other, a top surface of the top cover and a top surface of the fixed module are substantially equal in height in a vertical direction, or the top cover is slightly lower than the fixed module in the vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is parallel to an optical axis of the optical device.

7. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the elastic member connects the frame module and the circuit board, and the upper cover and the elastic member do not overlap each other when viewed in the vertical direction.

8. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 4, wherein the elastic element and the metal element do not overlap each other in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is parallel to an optical axis of the optical element.

9. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 8, wherein when said driving mechanism is impacted by an external force, said frame module contacts said metal member, thereby limiting said frame module to an extreme position inside said fixed module.

10. The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 8, wherein the housing is formed with a slot, and the metal member has a body, a recess structure and a fixing piece, the fixing piece extends toward the vertical direction and is fixed on the housing, and the recess structure connects the body and the fixing piece and is embedded in the slot.